Holly Taylor’s role on The Americans increased significantly when Paige (Taylor) began spending time with Pastor Tim and his congregation, suspecting her parents Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) of dishonesty. Now she’s found out the truth that they are KGB spies and the third season ended with Paige ratting them out to Pastor Tim.
Taylor made her Television Critics Association debut on an FX panel for The Americans this year. We got to speak with Taylor before the panel to learn more about Paige and to get to know more about The Americans star. The Americans returns on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT on FX.
Holly Taylor Exclusive Interview:
After the season finale, when did you finally get to know what the aftermath of that would be?
Holly Taylor: “They didn’t give any heads up at all. Nobody knew where it was going. They never really do with this show. It’s always everyone’s on edge. So I found out while I was going back to shoot season four, which was in September/October. It was a hard summer trying to wait it out and see what was going to happen, but it was definitely worth it. They take everything in a direction you couldn’t imagine so it’s really cool.”
How did you feel about her decision to tell Pastor Tim?
Holly Taylor: “Right, when I first got that script that said that she was going to tell Pastor Tim, I was sad about it because she kind of betrayed her parents. Now she’s in this difficult situation and put her parents in danger. But at the same time, once I started to deconstruct it more and understand her character trail, you see, like any other teenager in real life, how would they have handled all that information that their whole life is basically a lie? It was kind of understandable what she did even though it wasn’t what the audience really waned. But it was realistic and sometimes it’s not always how we want things to go.”
Were you hoping she’d be more on board with the program?
Holly Taylor: [Laughs] “Yeah, I was, just because I wanted to be a spy. You know, all that fun stuff, but I was hoping she would be more on board. But when you think about it, realistically I guess she did what anyone else would do.”
Were you asking for more central storylines, or did they just fall in your lap?
Holly Taylor: “Oh no, I’m new to the TV thing. This is my first TV show so I just let them do what they want. I trust Joe and Joel. They’re amazing at what they do and all the other writers in the show. They always come up with amazing stuff so I just let them roll with it however they want. My character’s plot is becoming more thickened and bigger and I don’t mind. It’s a lot of fun.”
Whatever show you do after The Americans is going to have to be really great, isn’t it?
Holly Taylor: [Laughs] “I hope so. If I get anything else after this, it has a lot of expectations to live up to, especially with the cast and the crew and everyone being so nice. It’s going to be hard to live up to that and find another set that’s just as warm and friendly and welcoming as The Americans has been.”
How much do you relate to the idea of seeking guidance from a Pastor Tim-like figure?
Holly Taylor: “To be honest, I never really related to it that much because I do have a very strong relationship with my parents. Even my brother who’s eight and a half years older than me. We’re close. We hardly ever fight, so I’m always able to talk to my parents about anything pretty much. They’re always there for me. So it’s different to see someone like Paige who doesn’t have that stable home life. She has to go out somewhere to get that. So it’s different and it’s interesting to explore that necessity that she has to be able to talk to somebody else and not be able to come home where she’s supposed to feel safe and be able to trust the people around her. She can’t really do that that much.”
What did it mean to you that Paige got to meet her grandmother?
Holly Taylor: “That was a really cool scene. I really liked how they wrote that in there. I thought that was interesting. I thought that that would be something that was too difficult for the KGB to pull off or for them to get Paige to be able to leave the country like that. So I was really impressed with how they wrote that in there. I thought it was a really nice storyline and I feel like it was one thing that really brought Paige and Elizabeth closer together.”
Yeah, what did it mean for their relationship?
Holly Taylor: “Yeah, for their relationship, it really strengthened it. Paige sees her mom as somebody who’s a little distant from her sometimes, is kind of cold, standoffish. Obviously they both love each other very much. They’re family, but still, Elizabeth isn’t somebody she can talk to about her emotions all the time and get a completely compassionate answer. So to see her mother and how she reacted with her mother as a kid, to see how much she meant to her, I think that was a lot for Paige to see. It was like wow, my mom does have this compassion. This is how she was raised and that explains why her parenting style is like that with me. I think it explained a lot for her.”
When you auditioned for The Americans, were you going out for lots of pilots that year?
Holly Taylor: “I was auditioning quite a bit. That was the first year I started auditioning for film and TV, so I was in California and I sent a tape to New York for The Americans and that was how I booked it. But I auditioned for a few other things so it was really cool.”
Did any of the shows you didn’t get make it on the air?
Holly Taylor: “I don’t think so. Maybe a few Disney pilots, but other than that, not really. I got very lucky.”
How much have you learned from your job on The Americans?
Holly Taylor: “I’ve learned so much. I mean, I’m sure there’s still so much that I can learn because I’ve only been on one set, but I’ve learned from Keri, Matthew, Noah and everybody, all the adults on set, how professional and humble and kind they are to everybody. They still do their jobs so well. Hollywood has that stigma of divas, but nobody on set is like that. They’re all just so kind and generous to everybody and they’re amazing at what they do. You don’t need to be demanding or harsh or anything in order to get your point across on screen. So it’s very inspiring to see them and learn from them and have that as my first experience.”
When your workload increased, was that a big adjustment for you?
Holly Taylor: “It’s interesting. It seemed like a big adjustment when you’re watching it, but as we were filming it, it was almost like it was building very gradually. So it all made sense as it was piling on. It was kinda just like I got to ease into it. But I go to school at the same time so the schedule did get a little heavier last year and it was harder to keep up.”
You were doing a lot of this before you were 18, so even if you wanted to work more, there were limits to your hours, weren’t there?
Holly Taylor: “Yeah, that did complicate things. Sometimes they would have to move a scene to another day if another one was taking too long. I’d have to get in my three hours of tutoring and all that fun stuff. It’s hard to work around the schedule but The Americans were really helpful with it.”
If that’s a heavy dramatic scene that you’re prepared for today and it has to be moved, how do you carry that preparation over?
Holly Taylor: “I guess you just put it away. Most of the time I kind of build it up as I get to set, so it’s not too hard to adjust things. I try to keep myself more adaptable because you never know what’s going to happen. Everything’s so up in the air all the time. But it is hard. Usually when you’re in the scene, that’s when you’re the most emotional, so I guess it’s just while you’re on the set that you dive into the character.”
Were you 18 for season four?
Holly Taylor: “Yeah, I was 17 I think for the first few weeks and then for the second and third episode I turned 18 somewhere around there. So I didn’t have to do my tutoring hours. I still have a tutor on set but the ADs didn’t have to worry about getting me back for 20 minute blocks, make sure I get three hours in a day and they could keep me for however many hours they want, lucky them. It’s a lot more convenient for everyone this year.”
Is that a better way to work for you?
Holly Taylor: “I guess it is. It’s nice because I can just do the homework that I have and then be done instead of all my homework’s finished but I still have to make up an hour and a half so I just sit there staring at the tutor. My mom’s still on set with me. I like her to come with me everywhere. Even though I’m 18 it’s very helpful so not too much has changed, but they’re still lenient with my schedule. They understand that I’m in my last year of high school and I still have a life outside of there. So they’re very considerate.”
Do you ever miss the mandated breaks?
Holly Taylor: “Maybe a little bit. Usually not because my breaks are always for homework or something. I guess I have a little more freedom in a way.”
Besides Paige, what would be your dream role?
Holly Taylor: “Oh God, that’s such a hard question. My dream role… I would like to do some comedy. I’ve always loved comedy. That’s one of the classes that I took more than drama ever. I only really took comedy classes, so drama was new for me in a way. Comedy is something that I think is really fun and I enjoy and it might be nice because I’ve been in drama for so long to show that I can do something else. I like to try a little bit of everything so hopefully I can jump into that sometime.”
Would you ever want to do a big franchise like a Hunger Games?
Holly Taylor: “Maybe. The Hunger Games are amazing movies. I love them myself, went to all the midnight premieres and I love Jennifer Lawrence so it’s done amazing things for her and her acting career so you never know.”
Do your high school friends watch The Americans?
Holly Taylor: “There’s a few people who do but most of the time it’s their parents. So if I go to someone’s house, their parents are like, ‘Oh, I saw the episode last night.’ But a lot of my friends just completely forget that I’m even on a show which I love.”
What kind of high school do you go to?
Holly Taylor: “It’s a public high school. It’s pretty big. In my grade, there’s 330 seniors or something. At the same time, I try and know everyone. Everyone’s pretty much aware of who’s there so it’s not too big that you get lost, but it’s a pretty decent size. It’s a fun school. I like it.”
How big is your circle?
Holly Taylor: “I don’t really have a circle per se. There’s maybe nine, or six, or nine of my really close friends. And then I have a bunch of different other groups I dabble in. I don’t like to keep myself restricted. There’s so many people out there, it’s good to get to know everybody.”
Would you go to college?
Holly Taylor: “Yeah, I really wanted to go to college but it looks like I might have to do online college with the schedule that I have right now. That might just be the best option. So I just applied to Penn State because they have a really good online program. I’m waiting to hear back from them, but I also applied to local schools in New Jersey, so we’ll wait and see which one works out the best.”
What would you like to major in?
Holly Taylor: “I wanted to major in psychology but then a lot of people are majoring in that and there’s not many jobs to get for it anymore. So that would’ve been more difficult for me. So then I decided to do marketing, but then I also applied to the advertising and PR at Penn State so that could be something fun to do just as a backup. I’d still love to be an actress. That’s my number one of course, but it doesn’t always work out as everyone plans and you never know, so I’d like to have a solid backup to fall back on.”
When you’re on hiatus from The Americans, what are your high school weekends like?
Holly Taylor: “My high school weekends, I usually eat a lot of food. Like I’ll go to my friend’s house and we’ll bake something. We’ll go on adventures, try and find new spots in New Jersey that we can look for and watch the sunset from. We’re always finding new music. I love bonding with people over music. Just anything that comes along, you know.”
Have you been to proms and homecomings?
Holly Taylor: “Yeah, last year I had my junior formal and that was in March. We usually finish shooting the season in March sometime so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go. But we told them that I had a dance that day and I was like, ‘If there’s any chance at all that I can not be working that day, that’d be really good.’ Because you have to go to school in order to be allowed to go to the dance, so even if I left at night I wouldn’t have been allowed to go. It all ended up working out. I went to my formal, and this year I have prom but that’s in June so hopefully that’ll go a little smoother.”
